Dakar, Senegal— Senegal Parliament approved a new bill to toughen penalties for homosexuality in the predominantly Muslim West African country, latest african countries Harsh penalties for LGBTQ people.
The new bill is submitted to parliament last month Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has described homosexual behavior as “unnatural”. It doubles the sentences for those convicted from one to five years in prison to five to 10 years in prison.
At Wednesday’s plenary session, almost all MPs voted in favor of the bill, with none objecting and three abstaining. The bill requires presidential assent before becoming law, and Senegalese President Basilou Diomaye Faye is widely expected to sign it.
In another change, the proposed law seeks to crack down on organizations that support sexual minorities by penalizing so-called “promoting” or “financing” homosexual behavior.
The fine for the offense was also increased to a maximum of CFA 10 million, but the bill retains the offense as a misdemeanor rather than a crime. During the parliamentary session, ministers argued that the 1966 law was too lax.
The proposed law classifies homosexuality as an “unnatural act” crime along with necrophilia and bestiality. But it would also punish anyone who accuses someone of homosexual behavior “without evidence.”
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Senegal’s president not to approve the law.
“It goes against the sacred human rights that we all enjoy: respect, dignity, privacy, equality and freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” Turck said in a statement.
Laws against homosexuality are common in Africa: more than 30 out of 54 countries criminalize same-sex sexual behavior. Senegal has joined countries such as Kenya, Sierra Leone and Tanzania where penalties can include 10 years or more in prison. This crime is punishable by death in Somalia, Uganda and Mauritania.
In recent weeks, groups promoting Islamic values ​​have organized rallies in support of the new legal measures, and police have cracked down on suspected homosexuals and arrested at least a dozen people.
The proposed law fulfills a campaign promise by the prime minister, who tried and failed to introduce the bill while in opposition.
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